Arabian Gulf: Royal Navy Deployments

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which warships and supply vessels of the Royal Navy are stationed, on current planning assumptions, in the area of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; and whether they intend to change those planning assumptions.

Lord Drayson: HMS "Campbeltown", with her support ship RFA "Bayleaf", is currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf as the ship allocated to Operation TELIC, the United Kingdom contribution to coalition forces in support of Iraqi Freedom. She is due to be relieved on station in late November 2005. Planning assumptions for this current military task deployment to the Gulf region are kept under constant review and there are no plans to change them at present.
	Our enduring maritime commitment to the Gulf, which has seen a continuous presence since 1980, is enhanced from time to time by additional forces, such as carrier led task group deployments, submarines and survey vessels.

British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When a government Minister last visited each of the British Overseas Territories and their dependencies; and what plans they have for future visits.

Lord Triesman: Details of the most recent official visits by government Ministers to each of the overseas territories are as follows:
	Anguilla: 24-25 February 2004: Lord McIntosh of Haringey, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
	Bermuda: 18-20 July 2002: Baroness Amos, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	British Antarctic Territory: 24-28 January 2001: Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	British Indian Ocean Territory: We are not aware of any recent Ministerial visits to the British Indian Ocean Territory.
	British Virgin Islands: 2-4 September 2004: Bill Rammell MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Cayman Islands: 16-17 February 2003: Baroness Amos, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Falkland Islands: 26-27 March 2004: Lord Bach, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence.
	Gibraltar: 14 February 2005: Adam Ingram MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.
	Montserrat: 22 June 2004: Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Development.
	Pitcairn Islands: We are not aware of any recent Ministerial visits to the Pitcairn Islands.
	St Helena: We are not aware of any recent Ministerial visits to St Helena.
	Ascension Island: 26 March 2004: Lord Bach, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence.
	Tristan da Cunha: We are not aware of any recent Ministerial visits to Tristan da Cunha.
	South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands: We are not aware of any recent Ministerial visits to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
	The Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia): 26 October 2005: John Prescott MP, Deputy Prime Minister
	Turks and Caicos Islands: 18 December 2001: Baroness Amos, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	Foreign engagements for government Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and an announcement is sometimes not possible until a visit is underway.

British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current population of each of the British Overseas Territories and their dependencies; and what were the respective populations in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003.

Lord Triesman: The details of the current populations, and the populations in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003, of the overseas territories are as follows. Where no official estimates were available for particular years, the result of the most recent census (or equivalent) has been used.
	Anguilla
	
		
			  
			 Current population 12,522 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 10,373 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 10,947 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 11,561 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 12,200 (Estimate)  
			 Bermuda 
			 Current population 62,059 (2000 Census) 
			 Population in 1997 58,460 (1991 Census) 
			 Population in 1999 58,460 (1991 Census) 
			 Population in 2001 62,059 (2000 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 62,059 (2000 Census)  
			 British Antarctic Territory 
			 The population of the British Antarctic Territory consists only of transient, non-permanent scientists and logistics support staff, including the nationals of numerous other Antarctic Treaty parties. 
			 British Indian Ocean Territory 
			 The British Indian Ocean Territory has no settled population. 
			 British Virgin Islands  
			 Current population 27,000 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 19,107 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 19,864 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 23,348 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 25,108 (Estimate)  
			 Cayman Islands 
			 Current population 44,000 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 36,600 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 39,600 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 41,900 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 44,144 (Estimate)  
			 Falkland Islands  
			 Current population 2,913 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 1997 2,564 (1996 Census) 
			 Population in 1999 2,564 (1996 Census) 
			 Population in 2001 2,913 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 2,913 (2001 Census)  
			 Gibraltar  
			 Current population 28,759 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 27,192 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 27,204 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 28,240 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 28,605 (Estimate)  
			 Montserrat 
			 Current population 4,785 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 6,075 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 3,092 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 4,464 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 4,482 (Estimate) 
			 Pitcairn 
			 Current population 47 (2003 Count) 
			 Population in 1997 37 (1997 Count) 
			 Population in 1999 37 (1999 Count) 
			 Population in 2001 39 (2001 Count) 
			 Population in 2003 47 (2003 Count)  
			 St Helena  
			 Current population 4,299 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1997 5,200 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 1999 4,961 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2001 4,490 (Estimate) 
			 Population in 2003 4,186 (Estimate)  
			 Ascension Island 
			 Current population 1,003 (2005 Count) 
			 Population in 1997 985 (1997 Count) 
			 Population in 1999 1,011 (1999 Count) 
			 Population in 2001 970 (2001 Count) 
			 Population in 2003 1,006 (2003 Count)  
			 Tristan da Cunha  
			 Current population 276 (2005 Count) 
			 Population in 1997 283 (1997 Count) 
			 Population in 1999 285 (1999 Count) 
			 Population in 2001 278 (2001 Count) 
			 Population in 2003 276 (2003 Count)  
			 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands  
			 The population of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands consists of only transient, non-permanent scientists, logistics support staff, curators and officials. 
			 Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus (Akrotiri and Dhekelia)  
			 Current population: 
			 6,976 Cypriots and approximately 7,800 military and UK based civilian personnel and their dependants (2001 Census). 
			 Population in 1997: 
			 6,580 Cypriots and approximately 7,800 military and UK based civilian personnel and their dependants (1996 Informal Census). 
			 Population in 1999: 
			 6,580 Cypriots and approximately 7,800 military and UK based civilian personnel and their dependants (1996 Informal Census). 
			 Population in 2001: 
			 6,976 Cypriots and approximately 7,800 military and UK based civilian personnel and their dependants (2001 Census). 
			 Population in 2003: 
			 6,976 Cypriots and approximately 7,800 military and UK based civilian personnel and their dependants (2001 Census). 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands  
			 Current population 19,886 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 1997 11,465 (1990 Census) 
			 Population in 1999 11,465 (1990 Census) 
			 Population in 2001 19,886 (2001 Census) 
			 Population in 2003 19,886 (2001 Census)

China: Human Rights

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, following the visit of the Chinese president, they will discuss with China the International Convention on Human Rights and the abolition of the death penalty in China.

Lord Triesman: We regularly raise human rights issues with the Chinese Government, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). An EU-China seminar on ratification of the ICCPR will be held, under the UK presidency of the EU, in December. Chinese and EU experts and officials will attend. Among the articles of ICCPR to be addressed will be Article 6 on the death penalty.

Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2005

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether words are missing from the last line of page 2 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2114).

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There are no words missing from the last line of page 2 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) Order 2005 (S. I. 2005/2114).

EU Institutions: Early Retirement of Staff

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many civil servants employed by the European Commission and by other institutions of the European Union have taken, or are due to take, early retirement in 2005; what is the principal reason for such retirements; what golden handshake is to be paid; and what is the average pension payable to those retiring in this way.

Lord Triesman: We do not have a figure for early retirements in 2005. The rules determining pension eligibility and the level of pension payments are set out in the staff regulations that came into effect on 1 May 2004. Golden handshakes are not paid. The Answers to the noble Lord's other Questions would be best addressed directly to the European Commission since the Government do not have the information at their disposal.

EU: Comitology Procedures

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why proposals which fail to obtain the necessary qualified majority in the European Union Council of Ministers, for example those for genetically modified maize, are then passed to the European Commission for approval; how often this procedure has been used in recent years; and what is their policy towards the procedure.

Lord Triesman: The noble Lord's Question refers to the EU's so-called comitology procedures. Comitology refers to the various types of committee that oversee the implementation of Community law, and is governed by Council Decision 1999/468/EC. There are three types of comitology procedure: under one, the regulatory procedure, which is used for the approval of genetically modified crops, if the relevant committee made up of member state representatives (acting by qualified majority) does not deliver an opinion or delivers an unfavourable opinion, the Commission can submit its proposal to the Council. The Council then has to confirm by qualified majority whether it adopts or opposes the proposal. If the latter, the Commission's proposal cannot be adopted in that form. But if the Council takes neither course of action within three months, the Commission adopts the measure. This system allows the Council to supervise the Commission in the exercise of its implementing powers under Article 211 EC while avoiding blockages of implementing legislation unless there is a qualified majority against. The Commission has also made a statement indicating that in sensitive sectors it will avoid going against any predominant position which might emerge within the Council against the appropriateness of an implementing measure.
	The Commission estimates that 99.5 per cent. of implementing measures are adopted following the agreement of the committees without reference to the Council. The latest report available from the Commission on the working of committees during 2003 (OJ C 65 17.3.2005) records only one example of a measure being referred to the Council and subsequently adopted by the Commission (authorisation of the placing on the market of sweet corn from genetically modified maize Bt11). This compares with 2,768 instruments adopted by the Commission in 2003.
	The Government supported the reform of the comitology procedures under Council Decision 1999/468/EC. However, as EU presidency, they are also taking forward discussions of the Commission's 2002 proposal for reforming comitology, which the Commission revised in 2004 following an opinion from the European Parliament. There have so far been three working group meetings to discuss the revised proposal and there will be two more under the UK presidency. As presidency, we are working to find a reform that would be acceptable to all parties.

Geneva Conventions

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the United Kingdom is still a supporter and signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Lord Triesman: The United Kingdom is indeed a party to, and a strong supporter of, the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their two additional protocols of 1977.
	The UK is fully committed to the implementation, nationally and internationally, of the Geneva Conventions and the additional protocols, and works very closely with the International Committee of the Red Cross, British Red Cross Society and international partners to this end.

Information Security: Department for Education and Skills

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Department for Education and Skills.

Lord Adonis: Responsibility for information security within the different business areas of the department lies with the Minister with responsibility for that area of policy. The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for information security within the department.

Information Security: Department for Work and Pensions

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Secretary of State is ultimately responsible for information security within the Department for Work and Pensions, but all Ministers have responsibility for information security for their own portfolios.

Information Security: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which Minister has responsibility for information security in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Lord Triesman: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has responsibility for information security in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

International Court of Justice

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they accept the authority of the International Court of Justice.

Lord Triesman: The United Kingdom strongly supports the International Court of Justice, which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations (UN).
	The court may decide cases between states which accept its jurisdiction. The United Kingdom has accepted the jurisdiction of the court by declaration under Article 3 6(2) of the statute of the court ("the Optional Clause"), a copy of which is available at www.icj-cij.org, as well as under various treaties.
	In accordance with the UN Charter, each member state of the UN undertakes to comply with the decision of the court in any case to which it is a party.
	In addition, the court may give advisory opinions at the request of the General Assembly, the Security Council and certain other UN organs and specialised agencies. Advisory opinions are not as such legally binding.

International Court of Justice

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding their compliance with rulings by the International Court of Justice.

Lord Triesman: The most recent ruling by the International Court of Justice relating to Israel concerned the security barrier. The UK continues to make representations to the Israeli Government about this. While Israel is entitled to take measures to strengthen its security, the routing of the barrier on occupied land is contrary to international law. This position was also taken by the International Court of Justice on 9 July 2004.

Iran: Presidential Comments on Israel

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many complaints they have received from members of the public about the remarks about Israel made by President Ahmadinejad of Iran two weeks ago; and what the main points were in such complaints.

Lord Triesman: As of 14 November, we have received 13 letters about President Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map". We expect to receive more in the coming days, since many of those concerned about the president's remarks are likely to write to Members of Parliament in the first instance.
	As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said in his press conference at the European Council at Hampton Court on 27 October, the sentiments expressed by President Ahmadinejad are completely unacceptable. European Union leaders issued a statement on 27 October condemning the president's comments, as did the United Nations Security Council on 28 October.

Japan: Agriculture Support Payments and Export Subsidies

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recent meetings they have held with the Japanese Government concerning the future reduction of agriculture support payments and export subsidies; and what conclusions were reached at these meetings.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met Mr Nakagawa, the then Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry on 14 October and also met his successor, Mr Nikai on 7 November. Both meetings focused on the Doha development agenda (DDA) and the forthcoming WTO ministerial meeting in December in Hong Kong. It was concluded that there was a need for a balanced outcome to the DDA, in areas such as industrial tariffs and services in addition to agriculture.

Kalahari Game Reserve

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When, during the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union, the report produced by European Union Heads of Mission based in Botswana on the situation in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve will be published.

Lord Triesman: EU heads of mission last visited the Central Kalahari Game Reserve collectively from 22–25 June 2003. There are no plans to publish a report of their visit.

Kazakhstan

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made to locate an embassy in the new capital of Kazakhstan; and whether this embassy in Astana will be shared with other European Union nations.

Lord Triesman: On current plans we hope that the British Embassy in Kazakhstan will move to Astana by autumn 2006. A consulate will remain in Almaty, in a building to be shared with the French and the Germans.
	The location identified for the initial move to Astana is for the medium-term and will not be shared with EU partners. We continue to discuss with both the Kazakh authorities and EU partners our longer-term presence in Astana.

Muslim Youth: Socio-political and Economic Situation

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will seek early discussions with the French Government on the problems arising in both countries from the socio-political and economic situation of Muslim youth.

Lord Triesman: The UK and French Governments have been exchanging best practice and experiences of the socio-political and economic situation for young people, including Muslims, for the past few years. This subject continues to form part of ongoing UK/France bilateral exchanges and work at EU level.
	On 1 December we will hold a Franco-British radicalisation seminar entitled "Tackling extremism together: how can our Governments and Muslim communities work together against those promoting messages of hatred and violence?".

Palestine

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress the European Union Foreign Ministers' Council has made on the European Union support programme to prepare for a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; whether key Wolfensohn recommendations will be included; and, if so, which recommendations.

Lord Triesman: The Middle East peace process remains a high priority for the European Union's General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). The efforts of the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union/High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, have also helped to shape the international community's response to the situation on the ground.
	The EU continues to offer political and practical support to the work of the Quartet's Special Envoy for Disengagement, James Wolfensohn. At the 7 November GAERC, the council reiterated its support for James Wolfensohn and urged the parties to reach rapid agreement on the issues contained in his rapid action plan including arrangements for Gaza's borders and crossings, the Gaza seaport and airport, movement of goods and people between Gaza and the West Bank, and freedom of movement in the West Bank. The council also accepted Mr Wolfensohn's request, on behalf of the parties, that the EU consider playing a third party monitoring role at the Rafah crossing point on the Gaza-Egypt border and expressed the EU's willingness in principle to provide assistance with the operation of crossings at Gaza's borders on the basis of an agreement between the parties. The EU is currently considering a possible non-executive monitoring role.
	The EU continues to be one of the biggest international donors to the Palestinian Authority. On 19 September, the European Commission announced that it would provide around €280 million in 2005 to help build Palestinian infrastructure and revive the Palestinian economy. We are pleased that this money includes a substantial contribution to help tackle the priorities identified by James Wolfensohn. At the 7 November GAERC, the council welcomed the Commission's detailed communication entitled EU-Palestinian co-operation beyond disengagement—towards a two-state solution.
	The EU is also working with US security co-ordinator, General Ward, to help the Palestinians in the field of security sector reform (particularly with regard to civil policing). At the 7 November GAERC, therefore, the council decided to launch a European security and defence policy police mission in the Palestinian territories to build on the work of the EU Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support and provide enhanced support to the Palestinian Authority in civil policing.
	The council continues to encourage both parties to make progress on the political track through implementation of the road map.
	Council conclusions on the Middle East peace process during the UK presidency of the EU can be found on the Middle East peace process pages of the FCO website at www.fco.gov.uk.

Personalised Learning

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What role they expect the voluntary sector to play in the promotion of personalised learning; what assessment they have made of the contribution which voluntary organisations who carry out one-to-one learning in schools might play in the delivery of personalised learning; and what role, if any, voluntary sector organisations carrying out one-to-one literacy support in schools will play in the delivery of personalised learning.

Lord Adonis: A key aspect of personalised learning is strong partnerships beyond the school. Voluntary organisations and the local community have a key role to play in working with schools to help drive forward progress in the classroom, to extend opportunities, broaden pupils' horizons, to remove barriers to learning and support pupils' well being.
	We also envisage a strong role for the voluntary sector in meeting our vision for all schools to provide access to a core offer of extended services by 2010. There are many good examples of schools that are already providing extended services in partnership with the voluntary sector and we expect that many more schools will choose to develop services in partnership with existing local voluntary sector providers benefiting from the long standing skills, experience and knowledge that they have in delivering services for children.
	We recognise that effective one-to-one learning, whether carried out by the school workforce or voluntary organisations, can help to personalise the learning for pupils and help them to make better progress if delivered in a structured and coherent manner to supplement whole classroom learning. We know that many good schools are already using both voluntary organisations and volunteers from the local community to offer one-to-one support to meet the learning needs of pupils.
	In relation to literacy support for schools, the department already has links with a range of volunteer programmes run by charitable organisations including Volunteer Reading Help, the National Reading Campaign's Reading Champions initiative, run by the National Literacy Trust and the National Literacy Trust's Reading is Fundamental scheme. We believe that these make an effective contribution to the personalisation of learning within schools. Also of significance is the wide range of voluntary literacy support that takes place through business-sponsored schemes, through local school or community-run initiatives, and through the involvement of parents in their child's learning.
	While we welcome the contribution of the voluntary sector in helping to personalise the learning of pupils, in particular by providing one-to-one literacy support, schools are the best placed to determine when and how to use national and local voluntary organisations to help them tailor teaching and learning to meet the needs of all their pupils.

Service Prosecutions

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will investigate why the transcript of the interview which the Metropolitan Police held with Corporal Blair was not included in the material that was placed before the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney-General at the time a decision was made to prosecute Trooper Williams in the civil courts.

Lord Goldsmith: The decision to prosecute Trooper Williams was made by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on 25 August 2004. The material upon which it was based included a statement compiled from the interview but not the transcript of the interview itself which was not forwarded by the Metropolitan Police to the CPS until 15 September 2004. I did not make the decision to prosecute.
	As a result, the transcript was not submitted to either myself or the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) at that stage.
	When, shortly thereafter, the transcript was sent to the CPS the reviewing lawyer reviewed the decision to prosecute in light of the contents of the interview and concluded its contents did not affect the decision to prosecute.
	The transcript of interview was first formally received into the DPP's private office on or about 21 February 2005 but the DPP believes that he discussed the content of the interview with leading counsel prior to 21 February 2005 on a date unknown.
	My office was first provided with a copy of the transcript on 14 March 2005 which was requested because it had been referred to by the defence on their application.

World Trade Organisation

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What measures they intend to take with other countries to ensure agreement at the World Trade Organisation's Hong Kong December summit.

Lord Triesman: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my right honourable friend the Minister for Europe (Douglas Alexander) to the Member for Gravesham (Adam Holloway) on 2 Nov 2005 (Official Report, Commons, col. 1092W). A successful, pro-development outcome to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December remains a UK presidency priority. My department and other relevant government departments are taking every opportunity to discuss the WTO round with our EU partners, the European Commission and other WTO members and stakeholders. EU Foreign Ministers discussed the issue at the 21-22 November General Affairs and External Relations Council. EU Trade Ministers also discussed the WTO round during their informal meeting on 21 November. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta from 25–27 November will be an opportunity for discussion of the trade round by heads of state and government.